Provider-defined live multichannel viewing events

ABSTRACT

Various arrangements for providing a multichannel viewing event are presented. A definition of the multichannel viewing event may be broadcast to multiple television receivers. A television receiver may, as part of an electronic programming guide, provide a single-selection option to activate the multichannel viewing event based on the broadcast definition. In response to receiving user input that selects the single-selection option, the definition of the multichannel viewing event is accessed. One or more tuners of the television receiver may be tuned based on the television channels defined in the definition of the multichannel viewing event. A video stream that includes live feeds of multiple television channels may then be output to a display device for simultaneous presentation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/218,321, filed Jul. 25, 2016, entitled “Provider-Defined LiveMultichannel Viewing Events,” which is related to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/139,299, filed Dec. 23, 2013, entitled“Customized Video Mosaic” and U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/139,420, also filed Dec. 23, 2013, entitled “Mosaic Focus Control.”The entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference forall purposes.

BACKGROUND

Demand for coverage of live events has skyrocketed in recent years. Inresponse, coverage of live events has been increased to match thepublic's demand. While in the past it was common for a single live feedof an event to be broadcast, now may feeds of different aspects of anevent may be broadcast simultaneously. For example, multiple games of asports tournament may be broadcast live on different television channelsat the same time. This can present a quandary for the modern televisionviewer. Frequently, such events are split among television channelsrarely watched by the viewer (thus, for instance, resulting in the usernot being aware of the television channels' numbers) and requiringincessant switching between these channels in order to stay apprised ofthe multiple games. Such an arrangement can be inefficient andfrustrating, decreasing the viewer's enjoyment of the event and hisability to stay up-to-date on the simultaneous events across multiplechannels.

SUMMARY

Various methods, systems, television receivers, and processor-readablemediums are detailed for providing a multichannel viewing event. Amultichannel viewing event definition may be broadcast to a plurality oftelevision receivers. The definition of the multichannel viewing eventmay define: a plurality of television channels to be included as part ofthe multichannel viewing event and a multichannel viewing event title.The definition of the multichannel viewing event may be stored by thetelevision receiver. The television receiver may provide, as part of anelectronic programming guide (EPG), a single-selection option toactivate the multichannel viewing event based on the multichannelviewing event definition, wherein the multichannel viewing event titleis presented in association with the single-selection option as part ofthe EPG. User input may be received by the television receiver thatselects the single-selection option. In response to receiving the userinput that selects the single-selection option, the television receivermay access the stored definition of the multichannel viewing event. Inresponse to the user input and the accessed stored definition of themultichannel viewing event, one or more tuners of the televisionreceiver may be tuned based on the plurality of television channelsdefined in the definition of the multichannel viewing event. A quadvideo stream may be output that includes live feeds of four televisionchannels from the plurality of television channels, and, when presentedby a display device, the quad video stream results in the live feeds ofthe four television channels being presented simultaneously.

Various arrangements may include one or more of the following features:The definition of the multichannel viewing event may include a starttime and an end time. The television receiver may compare a current timewith the start time and the end time. The television receiver maydetermine that the current time is between the start time and the endtime. Providing the single-selection option to activate the multichannelviewing event may be based on the multichannel viewing event definitionas part of the EPG is based on determining that the current time isbetween the start time and the end time. The single-selection optionbeing provided to activate the multichannel viewing event based on themultichannel viewing event definition may include providing a pluralityof single-selections, wherein each single-selection option of theplurality of single-selection options activates a different multichannelviewing event based on distinct multichannel viewing event definitions.In response to the user input and the accessed stored definition of themultichannel viewing event, a plurality of packet identifier (PID)filters may be instantiated. For each television channel of theplurality, a video PID filter may be instantiated. The plurality oftelevision channels may include five or more distinct televisionchannels. The definition of the multichannel viewing event may include aranking scheme that ranks the plurality of television channels. Thetelevision receiver may identify at least a subset of the plurality oftelevision channels that the television receiver is authorized forpresentation based on a local subscription check. The four televisionchannels may be selected for output based on the ranking scheme and thefour television channels being identified as part of at least the subsetof the plurality of television channels authorized for presentation. Adefault television channel may be selected from at least the subset ofthe plurality of television channels for audio output based on theranking scheme, wherein audio output is enabled for only a singletelevision channel at a given time. While outputting the quad highdefinition video stream that comprises the live feeds of the fourtelevision channels, user input may be received that is indicative of apause command particular to a television channel of the four televisionchannels being output for presentation. The television receiver maypause output of the television channel while maintaining output of livefeeds of the other three television channels. The television channel maybe recorded in response to the pause command particular to thetelevision channel. Each channel of the four television channels may beoutput at a resolution of 1080P.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of variousembodiments may be realized by reference to the following figures. Inthe appended figures, similar components or features may have the samereference label. Further, various components of the same type may bedistinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the firstreference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a satellite-based televisiondistributions system.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a television receiver that processesand presents a multichannel viewing event (MCVE).

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a MCVE engine.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of an electronic programming guide(EPG) that allows for activation of an MCVE.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of an MCVE being presented.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of an MCVE in which each televisionchannel has individually-controllable DVR functionality.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a method for providing an MCVE.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a method for providing an MCVE.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a computer system that can beincorporated as part of the television receivers and television serviceprovider systems detailed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A television service provider may define a multichannel viewing event(MCVE) that will be accessible to all or a subset of the televisionservice provider's subscribers. Such an MCVE may allow a user to make asingle selection, such as of an element presented in an electronicprogramming guide (EPG) that configurations presentation of a presetgroup of television channels selected by the television serviceprovider. The television service provider may broadcast an MCVEdefinition to various television receivers. This MCVE definition maydefine a number of channels, such as four or more. This MCVE definitionmay also define a start and end time of the MCVE. The MCVE may only beavailable for activation by a viewer during the time period defined bythe start time and end time.

Such an MCVE may be particularly useful to a user when: (1) an event isbeing broadcast for which different aspects are simultaneously appearingon multiple television channels; and/or (2) an event that is beingbroadcast on multiple television channels is being broadcast oftelevision channels which the user is unfamiliar. As an example, while aviewer may be aware that the Olympics are being broadcast live onmultiple different television channels, the viewer may only be familiarwith one or two of the television channels on which the Olympic eventsare being broadcast, while in fact one, two, or more additionaltelevision channels are simultaneously carrying additional events oraspects (e.g., commentary, medal ceremonies, Athlete personal intereststories) of the Olympics.

When a viewer is presented with an option of initiating an MCVE in anEPG, the user can assume that the MCVE is active or is expected to startsoon. When the MCVE is selected by the viewer for initiation, thetelevision receiver may access a stored definition of the MCVE todetermine which television channels are associated with the MCVE. In atypical arrangement, four channels may be output for presentation via adisplay device simultaneously. The MCVE definition may include more thanfour television channels, however. This arrangement may be useful if oneor more of the television channels included in the MCVE definition arenot part of a subscription active at the television receiver. Thesetelevision channels may be ranked as part of the MCVE definition suchthat the four highest ranked television channels are presented as partof the MCVE.

Assuming the television receiver is authorized to decode at least sometelevision channels of the MCVE, the television receiver may tune one ormore tuners to the television channels indicated in the MCVE definitionand decode the television channels. The four television channels may beoutput to a television (or other form of display device) simultaneouslysuch that the output signal to the television causes each of the fourtelevision channels to be presented in a different quadrant of thetelevision. Only one audio stream for one of the television channels maybe output to the television, sound system, or display device at a giventime based on viewer selection. Each of the output television channels,despite being presented on only a quadrant of the television's display,may be presented in high resolution (e.g., 1080P), which may be the sameresolution as if the television channel was being presented on the fulltelevision display. By decoding the television channel at fullresolution despite being presented in only a quadrant of a television, aswitching time from the television channel being presented in thequadrant to full screen mode may be decreased since a tuner of thetelevision receiver would not need to be tuned to another data stream(e.g., a different transponder stream) and the television channel isalready being decoded to a highest available resolution. The followingfigures and associated description provide a higher level of detail ofthe functionality involved in MCVEs.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a satellite-based televisiondistributions system 100. Satellite-based television distribution system100 may include: television service provider system 110, satellitetransmitter equipment 120, satellites 130, satellite dish 140,television receiver 150, and display device 160. Alternate embodimentsof satellite-based television distribution system 100 may include feweror greater numbers of components. While only one satellite dish 140,television receiver 150, and display device 160 (which can collectivelybe referred to as “user equipment”) are illustrated, it should beunderstood that multiple (e.g., tens, thousands, millions) instances ofuser equipment may receive television signals from television serviceprovider system 110 via satellites 130.

Television service provider system 110 and satellite transmitterequipment 120 may be operated by a television service provider. Atelevision service provider may distribute television channels,on-demand programming, programming information, data (e.g., one or moreMCVE definitions), firmware updates (which can include one or more MCVEdefinitions) and/or other content/services to users. Television serviceprovider system 110 may receive feeds of one or more television channelsfrom various sources. Such television channels may include multipletelevision channels that contain at least some of the same content(e.g., network affiliates). To distribute television channels forpresentation to users, feeds of the television channels may be relayedto user equipment via multiple television distribution satellites. Eachsatellite may relay multiple transponder streams. Satellite transmitterequipment 120 (120-1, 120-2) may be used to transmit a feed of one ormore television channels from television service provider system 110 toone or more satellites 130. While a single television service providersystem 110 and satellite transmitter equipment 120 are illustrated aspart of satellite-based television distribution system 100, it should beunderstood that multiple instances of transmitter equipment may be used,possibly scattered geographically, to communicate with satellites 130.Such multiple instances of satellite transmitting equipment maycommunicate with the same or with different satellites. Differenttelevision channels may be transmitted to satellites 130 from differentinstances of transmitting equipment. For instance, a different satellitedish of satellite transmitter equipment 120 may be used forcommunication with satellites in different orbital slots.

Satellites 130 may be configured to receive signals, such as streams oftelevision channels, from one or more satellite uplinks such assatellite transmitter equipment 120. Satellites 130 may relay receivedsignals from satellite transmitter equipment 120 (and/or other satellitetransmitter equipment) to multiple instances of user equipment viatransponder streams. Different frequencies may be used for uplinksignals 170 from transponder streams 180. Satellites 130 may be ingeosynchronous orbit. Each of the transponder streams transmitted bysatellites 130 may contain multiple television channels transmitted aspacketized data. For example, a single transponder stream may be aserial digital packet stream containing multiple television channels.Therefore, packets for multiple television channels may be interspersed.

Multiple satellites 130 may be used to relay television channels fromtelevision service provider system 110 to satellite dish 140. Differenttelevision channels may be carried using different satellites. Differenttelevision channels may also be carried using different transponders ofthe same satellite; thus, such television channels may be transmitted atdifferent frequencies and/or different frequency ranges. As an example,a first and second television channel may be relayed via a firsttransponder of satellite 130-1. A third, fourth, and fifth televisionchannel may be relayed via a different satellite or a differenttransponder of the same satellite relaying a transponder stream at adifferent frequency. A transponder stream transmitted by a particulartransponder of a particular satellite may include a finite number oftelevision channels, such as seven. Accordingly, if many televisionchannels are to be made available for viewing and recording, multipletransponder streams may be necessary to transmit all of the televisionchannels to the instances of user equipment. Each transponder stream maybe able to carry a finite amount of data. As such, the number oftelevision channels that can be included in a particular transponderstream may be at least partially dependent on the resolution of thevideo of the television channel. For example, a transponder stream maybe able to carry seven or eight television channels at a highresolution, but may be able to carry dozens, fifty, a hundred, twohundred, or some other number of television channels at reducedresolutions. For an MCVE event, each of the television channels that arepart of the event may be transmitted as part of the same transponderstream or may be spread among multiple transponder streams.

Satellite dish 140 may be a piece of user equipment that is used toreceive transponder streams from one or more satellites, such assatellites 130. Satellite dish 140 may be provided to a subscriber foruse on a subscription basis to receive television channels provided bythe television service provider system 110, satellite transmitterequipment 120, and/or satellites 130. Satellite dish 140, which mayinclude one or more low noise blocks (LNBs), may be configured toreceive transponder streams from multiple satellites and/or multipletransponders of the same satellite. Satellite dish 140 may be configuredto receive television channels via transponder streams on multiplefrequencies. Based on the characteristics of television receiver 150and/or satellite dish 140, it may only be possible to capturetransponder streams from a limited number of transponders concurrently.For example, a tuner of television receiver 150 may only be able to tuneto a single transponder stream from a transponder of a single satelliteat a given time. The tuner can then be re-tuned to another transponderof the same or a different satellite. A television receiver 150 havingmultiple tuners may allow for multiple transponder streams to bereceived at the same time.

In communication with satellite dish 140 may be one or more televisionreceivers. Television receivers may be configured to decode signalsreceived from satellites 130 via satellite dish 140 for output andpresentation via a display device, such as display device 160. Atelevision receiver may be incorporated as part of a television or maybe part of a separate device, commonly referred to as a set-top box(STB). Television receiver 150 may decode signals received via satellitedish 140 and provide an output to display device 160. FIG. 2 providesadditional detail of various embodiments of a television receiver. Atelevision receiver is defined to include set-top boxes (STBs) and alsocircuitry having similar functionality that may be incorporated withanother device. For instance, circuitry similar to that of a televisionreceiver may be incorporated as part of a television. As such, whileFIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of television receiver 150 as separatefrom display device 160, it should be understood that, in otherembodiments, similar functions may be performed by a television receiverintegrated with display device 160.

Display device 160 may be used to present video and/or audio decoded andoutput by television receiver 150. Television receiver 150 may alsooutput a display of one or more interfaces to display device 160, suchas an electronic programming guide (EPG). In many embodiments, displaydevice 160 is a television. Display device 160 may also be a monitor,computer, or some other device configured to display video and,possibly, play audio.

Uplink signal 170-1 represents a signal between satellite transmitterequipment 120 and satellite 130-1. Uplink signal 170-2 represents asignal between satellite transmitter equipment 120 and satellite 130-2.Each of uplink signals 170 may contain streams of one or more differenttelevision channels. For example, uplink signal 170-1 may contain afirst group of television channels, while uplink signal 170-2 contains asecond group of television channels. Each of these television channelsmay be scrambled such that unauthorized persons are prevented fromaccessing the television channels.

Transponder stream 180-1 represents a transponder stream signal betweensatellite 130-1 and satellite dish 140. Transponder stream 180-2represents a transponder stream signal between satellite 130-2 andsatellite dish 140. Each of transponder streams 180 may contain one ormore different television channels, which may be at least partiallyscrambled. For example, transponder stream 180-1 may be a firsttransponder stream containing a first group of television channels,while transponder stream 180-2 may be a second transponder streamcontaining a different group of television channels. When a televisionchannel is received as part of a transponder stream and is decoded andoutput to display device 160 (rather than first storing the televisionchannel to a storage medium as part of DVR functionality then lateroutputting the television channel from the storage medium), thetelevision channel may be considered to be viewed “live.”

FIG. 1 illustrates transponder stream 180-1 and transponder stream 180-2being received by satellite dish 140 and distributed to televisionreceiver 150. For a first group of television channels, satellite dish140 may receive transponder stream 180-1 and for a second group ofchannels, transponder stream 180-2 may be received. Television receiver150 may decode the received transponder streams. As such, depending onwhich television channels are desired to be presented or stored, varioustransponder streams from various satellites may be received,descrambled, and decoded by television receiver 150.

Network 190 may serve as a secondary communication channel betweentelevision service provider system 110 and television receiver 150.However, in many instances, television receiver 150 may be disconnectedfrom network 190 (for reasons such as because television receiver 150 isnot configured to connect to network 190 or a subscriber does not desireor cannot connect to network 190). As such, the connection betweennetwork 190 and television receiver 150 is represented by a dotted line.Via such a secondary communication channel, bidirectional exchange ofdata may occur. As such, data may be transmitted to television serviceprovider system 110 from television receiver 150 via network 190. Datamay also be transmitted from television service provider system 110 totelevision receiver 150 via network 190. Network 190 may be theInternet. While audio and video services may be provided to televisionreceiver 150 via satellites 130, feedback from television receiver 150to television service provider system 110 may be transmitted via network190. In some embodiments, MCVE definitions may be transmitted totelevision receiver 150 via network 190 from MCVE creation engine 111 oftelevision service provider system 110.

The television service provider that operates television serviceprovider system 110 may define an MCVE. In some embodiments,additionally or alternatively, a user may be permitted to access MCVEcreation engine 111 via network 190 from a computerized device (e.g.,computer, smartphone, etc.) and create a user-defined MCVE. Thedefinition of the MCVE may then be pushed to television receiver 150 viaeither network 190 or via the television provider distribution network(which, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, involves satellites 130).

MCVE creation engine 111 may be used to have a television serviceprovider and/or user define: a number of television channels that are tobe included in the MCVE, a title for the MCVE, a time period (i.e., astart time and end time) for the MCVE, and a ranking of televisionchannels for the MCVE. It may be possible for a user to search adatabase of available MCVE's stored by MCVE creation engine 111 toselect one or more service provider and/or user-defined MCVEs fortransmission to a television receiver associated with the user. In someembodiments, at least some of the MCVEs are pushed to televisionreceivers by the television service provider regardless of whether theuser has requested the MCVE. For instance, for a popular event, such asthe Olympics, the television service provider may desire to make theMCVE available at all possible television receivers. MCVE engine 300,which controls how television receiver 150 handles MCVEs, is detailed inrelation to FIG. 3.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of television receiver 200. Televisionreceiver 200 may be configured to output for presentation a MCVE basedon a receive MCVE definition. Television receiver 200 may be in the formof a separate device configured to be connected with a display device,such as a television. Embodiments of television receiver 200 can includeset top boxes (STBs). As previously noted, in addition to being in theform of an STB, a television receiver may be incorporated as part ofanother device, such as a television or other form of display device.For example, a television may have an integrated television receiver(which does not involve an external STB being coupled with thetelevision).

Television receiver 200 may represent television receiver 150 of FIG. 1and may be in the form of an STB that outputs video and/or audio to adisplay device, such as a television. Television receiver 200 may beincorporated as part of a television, such as display device 160 ofFIG. 1. Television receiver 200 may include: processors 210 (which mayinclude control processor 210-1, tuning management processor 210-2, andpossibly additional processors), tuners 215, network interface 220,non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 225, electronicprogramming guide (EPG) database 230, television interface 235,networking information table (NIT) 240, digital video recorder (DVR)database 245 (which may include provider-managed television programmingstorage and/or user-defined television programming), on-demandprogramming 227, user profiles 247, programming preview database 248,user input device 250, decryption processing component 260 (which can bein the form of a removable or non-removable smartcard), and/ordescrambling engine 265. In other embodiments of television receiver200, fewer or greater numbers of components may be present. It should beunderstood that the various components of television receiver 200 may beimplemented using hardware, firmware, software, and/or some combinationthereof. Functionality of components may be combined; for example,functions of descrambling engine 265 may be performed by tuningmanagement processor 210-2. Further, functionality of components may bespread among additional components; for example, PID (packet identifier)filters 255 may be handled by separate hardware from program managementtable 257.

Processors 210 may include one or more specialized and/orgeneral-purpose processors configured to perform processes such astuning to a particular channel, accessing and displaying EPG informationfrom EPG database 230, and/or receiving and processing input from auser. For example, processors 210 may include one or more processorsdedicated to decoding video signals from a particular format, such asMPEG, for output and display on a television and for performingdecryption. It should be understood that the functions performed byvarious modules of FIG. 2 may be performed using one or more processors.As such, for example, functions of descrambling engine 265 may beperformed by control processor 210-1.

Control processor 210-1 may communicate with tuning management processor210-2. Control processor 210-1 may control the recording of televisionchannels based on timers stored in DVR database 245. Control processor210-1 may also provide commands to tuning management processor 210-2when recording of a television channel is to cease. In addition toproviding commands relating to the recording of television channels,control processor 210-1 may provide commands to tuning managementprocessor 210-2 that indicate television channels to be output todecoder module 233 for output to a display device. Control processor210-1 may also communicate with network interface 220 and user inputdevice 250. Control processor 210-1 may handle incoming data fromnetwork interface 220 and user input device 250. Additionally, controlprocessor 210-1 may be configured to output data via network interface220. Control processor 210-1 may include a MCVE processing engine 211.Embodiments of a MCVE processing engine 211 are described in relation toFIG. 3.

Tuners 215 may include one or more tuners used to tune to transpondersthat include broadcasts of one or more television channels. In theillustrated embodiment of television receiver 200, three tuners arepresent (tuner 215-1, tuner 215-2, and tuner 215-3). In otherembodiments, two or more than three tuners may be present, such as four,six, or eight tuners. Each tuner contained in tuners 215 may be capableof receiving and processing a single transponder stream from a satellitetransponder at a given time. As such, a single tuner may tune to asingle transponder stream at a given time. If tuners 215 includemultiple tuners, one tuner may be used to tune to a television channelon a first transponder stream for display using a television, whileanother tuner may be used to tune to a television channel on a secondtransponder for recording and viewing at some other time. If multipletelevision channels transmitted on the same transponder stream aredesired, a single tuner of tuners 215 may be used to receive the signalcontaining the multiple television channels for presentation and/orrecording. Tuners 215 may receive commands from tuning managementprocessor 210-2. Such commands may instruct tuners 215 which frequenciesor transponder streams to tune.

Network interface 220 may be used to communicate via an alternatecommunication channel with a television service provider, if suchcommunication channel is available. The primary communication channelmay be via satellite (which may be unidirectional to television receiver200) and the alternate communication channel (which may bebidirectional) may be via a network, such as the Internet. Referringback to FIG. 1, television receiver 150 may be able to communicate withtelevision service provider system 110 via a network, such as theInternet. This communication may be bidirectional: data may betransmitted from television receiver 150 to television service providersystem 110 and from television service provider system 110 to televisionreceiver 150. Referring back to FIG. 2, network interface 220 may beconfigured to communicate via one or more networks, such as theInternet, to communicate with television service provider system 110 ofFIG. 1. Information may be transmitted and/or received via networkinterface 220. For instance, instructions (e.g., regarding subscriptionportability, MCVE definitions) from a television service provider mayalso be received via network interface 220, if connected with theInternet. Network interface 220 may be used to provide a confirmation toa television service provider that instructions received from thetelevision service provider have indeed been executed.

Storage medium 225 may represent one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable storage mediums. Storage medium 225 may include memoryand/or a hard drive. Storage medium 225 may be used to store informationreceived from one or more satellites and/or information received vianetwork interface 220. Storage medium 225 may store information relatedto EPG database 230, other non-video/audio data 231, DVR database 245,MCVE database 246 and/or on-demand programming 227. Recorded televisionprograms, which were recorded based on a provider- or user-defined timermay be stored using storage medium 225 as part of a DVR database.Storage medium 225 may be partitioned or otherwise divided (such as intofolders) such that predefined amounts of storage medium 225 are devotedto storage of television programs recorded due to user-defined timersand stored television programs recorded due to provider-defined timers.

MCVE database 246 may serve to store definitions of MCVE events thathave been provided by the television service provider or directly inputto the television receiver by a user. Further detail regarding MCVEdatabase 246 is provided in relation to FIG. 3.

EPG database 230 may store information related to television channelsand the timing of programs appearing on such television channels. EPGdatabase 230 may be stored using storage medium 225, which may be a harddrive. Information from EPG database 230 may be used to inform users ofwhat television channels or programs are popular and/or providerecommendations to the user. Information from EPG database 230 mayprovide the user with a visual interface displayed by a television thatallows a user to browse and select television channels and/or televisionprograms for viewing and/or recording. Information used to populate EPGdatabase 230 may be received via network interface 220 and/or viasatellites, such as satellites 130 of FIG. 1 via tuners 215. Forinstance, updates to EPG database 230 may be received periodically viasatellite. EPG database 230 may serve as an interface for a user tocontrol DVR functions of television receiver 200, and/or to enableviewing and/or recording of multiple television channels simultaneously.

The network information table (NIT) 240 may store information used bytelevision receiver 200 to access various television channels. NIT 240may be stored locally by a processor, such as tuning managementprocessor 210-2 and/or by storage medium 225. Information used topopulate NIT 240 may be received via satellite (or cable) through tuners215 and/or may be received via network interface 220 from the televisionservice provider. As such, information present in NIT 240 may beperiodically updated. In some embodiments, NIT 240 may be locally-storedby television receiver 200 using storage medium 225. Generally, NIT 240may store information about a service provider network, such as asatellite-based service provider network. Information that may bepresent in NIT 240 may include: television channel numbers, satelliteidentifiers (which may be used to ensure different satellites are tunedto for reception of timing signals), frequency identifiers and/ortransponder identifiers for various television channels. In someembodiments, NIT 240 may contain additional data or additional tablesmay be stored by the television receiver. For example, while specificaudio PIDs and video PIDs may not be present in NIT 240, a channelidentifier may be present within NIT 240 which may be used to look upthe audio PIDs and video PIDs in another table, such as a program maptable (PMT). In some embodiments, a PID associated with the data for thePMT is indicated in a separate table, program association table (PAT),which is not illustrated in FIG. 2. A PAT may be stored by thetelevision receiver in a similar manner to the NIT. For example, a PMTmay store information on audio PIDs, and/or video PIDs. A PMT storesdata on ECM (entitlement control message) PIDs for television channelsthat are transmitted on a transponder frequency. If, for a firsttelevision channel, multiple television channels are to be tuned to, NIT240 and/or PMT 257 may indicate a second television channel that is tobe tuned to when a first channel is tuned to.

Based on information in the NIT, it may be possible to determine theproper satellite and transponder to which to tune for a particulartelevision channel. In some embodiments, the NIT may list a particularfrequency to which to tune for a particular television channel. Oncetuned to the proper satellite/transponder/frequency, the PMT PID may beused to retrieve a program management table that indicates the PIDs foraudio and video streams of television channels transmitted by thattransponder.

While a large portion of storage space of storage medium 225 is devotedto storage of television programming, a portion may be devoted tostorage of non-audio/video data, such as EPG database 230 and othernon-video/audio data 231. This “other” data may permit televisionreceiver 200 to function properly. In some embodiments, at least tengigabytes are allocated to such other data. For example, if NIT 240 isstored by storage medium 225, it may be part of other non-video/audiodata 226.

Decoder module 233 may serve to convert encoded video and audio into aformat suitable for output to a display device. For instance, decodermodule 233 may receive MPEG video and audio from storage medium 225 ordescrambling engine 265 to be output to a television. MPEG video andaudio from storage medium 225 may have been recorded to DVR database 245as part of a previously-recorded television program. Decoder module 233may convert the MPEG video and audio into a format appropriate to bedisplayed by a television or other form of display device and audio intoa format appropriate to be output from speakers, respectively. Decodermodule 233 may have the ability to convert a finite number of televisionchannel streams received from storage medium 225 or descrambling engine265 simultaneously. For instance, each of decoders 234 within decodermodule 233 may be able to only decode a single television channel at atime. While decoder module 233 is illustrated as having three decoders234 (decoder 234-1, decoder 234-2, and decoder 234-3), in otherembodiments, a greater or fewer number of decoders may be present intelevision receiver 200. A decoder may be able to only decode a singlehigh definition television program at a time.

Television interface 235 may serve to output a signal to a television(or another form of display device) in a proper format for display ofvideo and playback of audio. As such, television interface 235 mayoutput one or more television channels, stored television programmingfrom storage medium 225 (e.g., television programs from DVR database245, television programs from on-demand programming 230 and/orinformation from EPG database 230) to a television for presentation.Television interface 235 may serve to output a MCVE interface to apresentation device or television. This MCVE interface may presentmultiple (e.g., four) television channels simultaneously, possibly allin high definition.

Digital Video Recorder (DVR) functionality may permit a televisionchannel to be recorded for a period of time. DVR functionality oftelevision receiver 200 may be managed by control processor 210-1.Control processor 210-1 may coordinate the television channel, starttime, and stop time of when recording of a television channel is tooccur. DVR database 245 may store information related to the recordingof television channels. DVR database 245 may store timers that are usedby control processor 210-1 to determine when a television channel shouldbe tuned to and its programs recorded to DVR database 245 of storagemedium 225. In some embodiments, a limited amount of storage medium 225may be devoted to DVR database 245. Timers may be set by the televisionservice provider and/or one or more users of television receiver 200.

DVR database 245 may also be used to record recordings of serviceprovider-defined television channels. For each day, an array of filesmay be created. For example, based on provider-defined timers, a filemay be created for each recorded television channel for a day. Forexample, if four television channels are recorded from 6-10 PM on agiven day, four files may be created (one for each television channel).Within each file, one or more television programs may be present. Theservice provider may define the television channels, the dates, and thetime periods for which the television channels are recorded for theprovider-defined timers. The provider-defined timers may be transmittedto television receiver 200 via the television provider's network. Forexample, referring to satellite-based television distribution system 100of FIG. 1, in a satellite-based television service provider system, datanecessary to create the provider-defined timers at television receiver150 may be received via satellite.

As an example of DVR functionality of television receiver 200 being usedto record based on provider-defined timers, a television serviceprovider may configure television receiver 200 to record televisionprogramming on multiple, predefined television channels for a predefinedperiod of time, on predefined dates. For instance, a television serviceprovider may configure television receiver 200 such that televisionprogramming may be recorded from 7 to 10 PM on NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX oneach weeknight and from 6 to 10 PM on each weekend night on the samechannels. These channels may be transmitted as part of a singletransponder stream such that only a single tuner needs to be used toreceive the television channels. Packets for such television channelsmay be interspersed and may be received and recorded to a file. If atelevision program is selected for recording by a user and is alsospecified for recording by the television service provider, the userselection may serve as an indication to save the television program foran extended time (beyond the time which the predefined recording wouldotherwise be saved). Television programming recorded based onprovider-defined timers may be stored to a portion of storage medium 225for provider-managed television programming storage.

On-demand programming 227 may represent additional televisionprogramming stored by storage medium 225. On-demand programming 227 mayinclude television programming that was not recorded to storage medium225 via a timer (either user- or provider-defined). Rather, on-demandprogramming is programming provided to the television receiver directlyfor storage by the television receiver and for later presentation to oneor more users. On-demand programming may not be user-selected. As such,the television programming stored to on-demand programming storage 227may be the same for each television receiver of a television serviceprovider.

User input device 250 may include a remote control (physically separatefrom television receiver 200) and/or one or more buttons on televisionreceiver 200 that allow a user to interact with television receiver 200.User input device 250 may be used to select a television channel forviewing, view information from EPG database 230, and/or program a timerstored to DVR database 245, wherein the timer is used to control the DVRfunctionality of control processor 210-1. In some embodiments, it may bepossible to load some or all of preferences to a remote control. Assuch, the remote control can serve as a backup storage device for thepreferences.

Referring back to tuners 215, television channels received via satellite(or cable) may contain at least some scrambled data. Packets of audioand video may be scrambled to prevent unauthorized users (e.g.,nonsubscribers) from receiving television programming without paying thetelevision service provider. When a tuner of tuners 215 is receivingdata from a particular transponder of a satellite, the transponderstream may be a series of data packets corresponding to multipletelevision channels. Each data packet may contain a packet identifier(PID), which, in combination with NIT 240 and/or PMT 257, can bedetermined to be associated with a particular television channel.Particular data packets, referred to as entitlement control messages(ECMs), may be periodically transmitted. ECMs may be associated withanother PID and may be encrypted; television receiver 200 may usedecryption engine 261 of decryption processing component 260 to decryptECMs. Decryption of an ECM may only be possible if the user hasauthorization to access the particular television channel associatedwith the ECM. When an ECM is determined to correspond to a televisionchannel being stored and/or displayed, the ECM may be provided todecryption processing component 260 for decryption.

When decryption processing component 260 receives an encrypted ECM,decryption processing component 260 may decrypt the ECM to obtain somenumber of control words. In some embodiments, from each ECM received bydecryption processing component 260, two control words are obtained. Insome embodiments, when decryption processing component 260 receives anECM, it compares the ECM to the previously received ECM. If the two ECMsmatch, the second ECM is not decrypted because the same control wordswould be obtained. In other embodiments, each ECM received by decryptionprocessing component 260 is decrypted; however, if a second ECM matchesa first ECM, the outputted control words will match; thus, effectively,the second ECM does not affect the control words output by decryptionprocessing component 260. Decryption processing component 260 may bepermanently part of television receiver 200 or may be configured to beinserted and removed from television receiver 200.

Tuning management processor 210-2 may be in communication with tuners215 and control processor 210-1. Tuning management processor 210-2 maybe configured to receive commands from control processor 210-1. Suchcommands may indicate when to start/stop recording a television channeland/or when to start/stop causing a television channel to be output to atelevision. Tuning management processor 210-2 may control tuners 215.Tuning management processor 210-2 may provide commands to tuners 215that instruct the tuners which satellite, transponder, and/or frequencyto tune to. From tuners 215, tuning management processor 210-2 mayreceive transponder streams of packetized data. As previously detailed,some or all of these packets may include a PID that identifies thecontent of the packet.

Tuning management processor 210-2 may be configured to create one ormore PID filters 255 that sort packets received from tuners 215 based onthe PIDs. When a tuner is initially tuned to a particular frequency(e.g., to a particular transponder of a satellite), a PID filter may becreated based on the PMT data. The PID filter created, based on the PMTdata packets, may be known because it is stored as part of NIT 240 oranother table, such as a program association table (PAT). From the PMTdata packets, PMT may be constructed by tuning management processor210-2.

PID filters 255 may be configured to filter data packets based on PIDs.In some embodiments, PID filters 255 are created and executed by tuningmanagement processor 210-2. For each television channel to be output forpresentation or recorded, a separate PID filter may be configured. Inother embodiments, separate hardware may be used to create and executesuch PID filters. Depending on a television channel selected forrecording/viewing, a PID filter may be created to filter the video andaudio packets associated with the television channel (based on the PIDassignments present in PMT 257). For example, if a transponder datastream includes multiple television channels, data packets correspondingto a television channel that is not desired to be stored or displayed bythe user may be ignored by PID filters 255. As such, only data packetscorresponding to the one or more television channels desired to bestored and/or displayed may be filtered and passed to eitherdescrambling engine 265 or decryption processing component 260; otherdata packets may be ignored. For each television channel, a stream ofvideo packets, a stream of audio packets (one or both of the audioprograms) and/or a stream of ECM packets may be present, each streamidentified by a PID. In some embodiments, a common ECM stream may beused for multiple television channels. Additional data packetscorresponding to other information, such as updates to NIT 240, may beappropriately routed by PID filters 255. At a given time, one ormultiple PID filters may be executed by tuning management processor210-2.

Descrambling engine 265 may use the control words output by decryptionprocessing component 260 in order to descramble video and/or audiocorresponding to television channels for storage and/or presentation.Video and/or audio data contained in the transponder data streamreceived by tuners 215 may be scrambled. Video and/or audio data may bedescrambled by descrambling engine 265 using a particular control word.Which control word output by decryption processing component 260 to beused for successful descrambling may be indicated by a scramble controlidentifier present within the data packet containing the scrambled videoor audio. Descrambled video and/or audio may be output by descramblingengine 265 to storage medium 225 for storage (in DVR database 245)and/or to decoder module 233 for output to a television or otherpresentation equipment via television interface 235.

For simplicity, television receiver 200 of FIG. 2 has been reduced to ablock diagram; commonly known parts, such as a power supply, have beenomitted. Further, some routing between the various modules of televisionreceiver 200 has been illustrated. Such illustrations are for exemplarypurposes only. The state of two modules not being directly or indirectlyconnected does not indicate the modules cannot communicate. Rather,connections between modules of the television receiver 200 are intendedonly to indicate possible common data routing. It should be understoodthat the modules of television receiver 200 may be combined into a fewernumber of modules or divided into a greater number of modules. Further,the components of television receiver 200 may be part of another device,such as built into a television. Television receiver 200 may include oneor more instances of various computerized components, such as disclosedin relation to computer system 900 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of an MCVE engine 300. MCVE engine 300may be integrated as part of a television receiver (such as televisionreceiver 200) and may use various components of the television receiverto function, such as control processor 210-1 and storage medium 225.MCVE engine 300 may include: MCVE processing engine 211, MCVE database246, DVR functionality controller 310, MCVE timing controller 320, MCVEEPG interface engine 330, MCVE interface engine 340, and user inputcontroller 350.

MCVE processing engine 211 may be executed by control processor 210-1 ofa television receiver and may coordinate receipt, processing, and outputof MCVE events. MCVE processing engine 211 may receive and processreceived MCVE definitions. MCVE processing engine 211 may store thedefinition of a received MCVE to MCVE database 246 if the MCVEdefinition was addressed to the television receiver. If not addressed tothe television receiver, decryption processing component 260 may nothave decrypted the received MCVE definition and may have discarded it.MCVE database 246 may store one or more MCVE definitions. An MCVEdefinition may be discarded from MCVE database 246 after its end time.An exemplary MCVE definition is provided in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Title 2016 Basketball Tournament Description All your favoritecollege basketball action in one place! Graphic File [Basketball.jpg]Start Date/Time Apr. 27, 2016 | 4:00 PM End Date/Time May 6, 2016 |10:00 PM Channel (Rank 1) 027 Channel (Rank 2) 834 Channel (Rank 3) 102Channel (Rank 4) 105 Channel (Rank 5) 013 Channel (Rank 6) 855 Channel(Rank 7) 802

Table 1 indicates a sample MCVE definition which can be sent to varioustelevision receivers. It should be understood that table 1 is merely anexample; other embodiments may have fewer or greater number of fieldsand/or ranked television channels.

MCVE timing controller 320 may analyze a current time and date against astart and end time and date indicated as part of an MCVE definition. Inorder for the MCVE to be available for activation, the current time maybe required to be determined by MCVE timing controller 320 to be betweenthe start and end time specified in the MCVE definition stored in MCVEdatabase 246. In some embodiments, MCVE timing controller 320 can deleteMCVE definitions from MCVE database 246 when an MCVE definition's endtime has passed. User-defined MCVE's (as opposed to provider-definedMCVE's) may not have start and end times. Such MCVE definitions maypersist in MCVE database 246 until deleted by a user. In otherembodiments, a user (be it a user of the television receiver or someother user that has created the MCVE definition) may specify a start andend time. An MCVE definition may have multiple start and stop times. Forinstance, a basketball tournament may be broadcast between 6-10 PM onconsecutive nights. The MCVE may only be available for user activationduring or near those two time periods.

While many MCVEs may have a common theme (e.g., basketball games, theOlympics), other MCVEs may simply be television channels that a user orusers tend to want to view at the same time. For example, a stock ticketchannel, a weather channel, a sports channel, and a movie channel couldbe used as part of an MCVE. As such, it should be understood that agrouping of any channels desired by a television service provider oruser can be used to create an MCVE.

MCVE subscription controller 325 can serve to analyze channels indicatedin an MCVE definition against a subscription activate at the televisionreceiver. MCVE subscription controller 325 may provide an indication toMCVE processing engine 211 of which television channels of the MCVEdefinition are accessible based on the active subscription. Based onwhich channels are available, MCVE processing engine 211 may select thefour (or some other number) of the highest ranked television channelsthat are available based on data from MCVE subscription controller 325and a ranking indicated in the MCVE definition.

MCVE EPG interface engine 330 may indicate, such as via a graphicalelement, when an MCVE is available for selection within an electronicprogramming guide. An icon or other form of graphical element may bepresented; this icon or graphical element may be provided (or referencedfrom a locally-stored library) as part of the MCVE definition. Forinstance, a picture of the Olympic Rings may represent an Olympics MCVE.In some embodiments, for a time before and/or after an MCVE is available(based on the time periods analyzed by MCVE timing controller 320), theicon or graphical element may be presented as part of the EPG by MCVEEPG interface engine 330, but may be unselectable. For instance, theicon or graphical element may be grayed out or otherwise unselectable.An example of an MCVE presented in an EPG by MCVE EPG engine 330 ispresented in FIG. 4.

MCVE interface engine 340 may cause the MCVE to be presented, based onthe four (or some other number) of highest-ranked television channelsfrom the MCVE definition when the MCVE has been activated (e.g., inresponse to user input) during the time period of the MCVE. An exampleof an MCVE interface is illustrated in FIG. 5. MCVE interface engine 340may cause the MCVE to be output for presentation in four quadrants of atelevision's display or other presentation device. As such, the videosignal output to the presentation device may be formatted such that fourdifferent television channels will be presented simultaneously. Each ofthese channels may be output in their respective received resolution,which may be 1080P, thus resulting in a quad-high definition signalbeing output to a display device. Each of the television channels outputas part of the MCVE may be output at the full resolution at which thetelevision channel is received from the television service provider.MCVE interface engine 340 may cause only a single audio stream to beoutput at a given time. The audio steam may be selected based on userinput from user input controller 350. Further, user selection of aparticular channels from the MCVE interface may cause that particulartelevision channels to be presented in full-screen mode. When selected,since a tuner is already tuned to the proper transponder stream and oneor more PID filters have already been created, switching to full-screenmode of the television channel may occur quickly, since presentationover the full display screen rather than a quadrant (or some otherportion) may be the only adjust that needs to be made.

DVR functionality controller 310 may allow a user to control various DVRfunctions while the MCVE interface is active. For instance, delayed liveplayback may be applied to any or all of the television channels bepresented by MCVE interface engine 340, such as is illustrated in FIG.6. A user may be able to “pause” live television by causing thetelevision channel to be recorded while the channel is locally“paused”—playback from the recorded portion of the television channelcontinues when the user un-pauses playback. Recording continues untilthe user's playback position catches back up to the live broadcast (suchas via fast forwarding).

User input controller 350 may allow a user to provide input to MCVEprocessing engine 211, MCVE interface engine 340, and DVR functionalitycontroller 310. The user can: enable/disable presentation of the MCVEevent, select which television channel should have its audio output,select a television channel for full-screen presentation, and controlDVR functionality relative to the television channels presented as partof the MCVE. User input controller 350 may be based on buttons on aremote control pressed by a user or input provided from an app beingexecuted by a computerized device. DVR functionality controller 310 mayalso allow a user to apply other DVR functionalities to televisionchannels being presented as part of an MCVE, such as recording based ona user- or provider-defined timer.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of an electronic programming guide(EPG) being presented by a display device 400 that permits enablement ofan MCVE. On the illustrated EPG, various functionalities of thetelevision receiver are presented as icons or graphical elements, suchas: DVR element 401, guide element 402, on-demand element 403, PrimeTime Anytime element 404, and search 405. As part of the EPG, threeavailable MCVE's are presented: basketball tournament MCVE 410, OlympicsMCVE 411, and news MCVE 412. Each of these MCVE's are represented by itsrespective title and graphical element, which were provided as part ofthe MCVE definition. A user may select any of these three MCVE's to viewas desired by the user. MCVE's may appear and disappear (or be grayedout or otherwise indicated as unavailable) based on the MCVE's scheduledstart and stop times. In some embodiments, MCVE's are presented for adefined amount of time before and after the MCVE's scheduled start andstop times (e.g., one day) but are unselectable. The MCVE elements ofFIG. 4 may be understood to be “single-selection” options. This termrefers to the concept that by a user providing a single instance of userinput to select an MCVE (e.g., via a button on a remote control orselection in an EPG), the MCVE will present four (or some other number)of television channels simultaneously using an MCVE interface inaccordance with a stored MCVE definition, such as in the embodiment ofFIG. 5.

In the illustrated embodiment, basketball tournament MCVE 410 may causea first set of television channels to be presented in an MCVE interface;Olympics MCVE 411 may cause a second set of television channels to bepresented in an MCVE interface; and news MCVE 412 may cause a third setof television channels to be presented in an MCVE interface. It may bepossible that some of these MCVE's have television channel overlap(e.g., a basketball game that is part of the Olympics may also bepresented as part of the basketball tournament). It many instances,there will be no television channel overlap between MCVEs.

News MCVE 412 is denoted by the EPG as user-defined. Basketballtournament MCVE 410 and Olympics MCVE 411 are provider defined—meaningthese MCVEs were defined by the television service provider andbroadcast to many television receivers. News MCVE 412, however, wasdefined by a user. This user may be a user of the television receiverthat is outputting the EPG of FIG. 4 or may be a remote user that hasshared a definition of an MCVE. For instance, a user may be permitted toprovide access to his user-defined MCVE via MCVE creation engine 111 andtelevision service provider system 110. Other users may then acquire anduse such a shared MCVE.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of an MCVE being presented by a displaydevice 500 that displays an MCVE. This MCVE, may be, for example,sports—presenting basketball, F-1 racing, street racing, and helicopterracing. Each of the presented four television channels are output to adisplay device such that each channel occupies a different quadrant ofthe display device's screen. Channel 501 is highlighted via a rectanglethat outlines the television channel. This may indicate that the audiofor channel 501 is active and being output. The audio for the otherthree channels may be suppressed or audio PID filters may not beinstantiated for the audio of such channels. Via a user input device, auser may select which channel is selected and has its audio output.Further, when a channel is selected, user input may cause the televisionchannel to be presented in full-screen mode. When a television channelin an MCVE is selected to be switched to full-screen mode, no tuners orPID filters may need to be reconfigured. Rather, PID filters may be keptactivated for the four television channels with one or more tuners tunedas-is. Rather than the full resolution feed of the selected televisionchannel being output in a quadrant of the display device, it may bepresented full screen. User input while in full screen mode may causethe MCVE interface to be presented again. Again here, since the PIDfilters and tuning of the one or more tuners were not modified, notuners or PID filters may need to be configured to return on the MCVEinterface of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of an MCVE interface being presented bya display device 600. In this MCVE interface, each television channel isindividually controllable. Channel 603 has live television “paused”using the DVR capability of the television receiver outputting the MCVEinterface. Each other television channel of the MCVE may be presentedlive. It should be understood that user-input may be used to pause morethan one of the four television channels presented. If a user switches atelevision channel to full screen mode, which channels are “paused” andwhich are not may remain as previously set in the MCVE interface. Thatway, if a user exits full screen mode and returns to the MCVE interface,the user's previous selections of which channels are paused and whichare live may remain.

Various methods may be performed using the systems detailed in relationto FIGS. 1-6. FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a method 700 forproviding an MCVE. Steps of method 700 may be performed using variouscomponents of system 100, including television service provider system110 and television receiver 150. It should be understood that whilesystem 100 is a satellite-based television distribution system, method700 may be performed using other forms of television distributionsystems, including cable- and IP-based television distribution systems.

At block 710, a MCVE definition may be created by a television serviceprovider system and transmitted to one or more television receivers. TheMCVE definition may contain fields similar to those presented inrelation to Table 1. The MCVE definition may be transmitted in the formof messages that can be processed and implemented by a televisionreceiver. In some embodiments, the MCVE definition may be embedded in asoftware update or firmware update to the television receiver. Forinstance, the television receiver may have an operating system in whichan MCVE can be hard-coded. When the television receiver receives andinstalls the updated operating system software or firmware, the MCVE maybe stored by the television receiver. At block 720, a televisionreceiver, to which the MCVE definition is addressed, may receive andstore the MCVE definition. If the MCVE definition is incorporated aspart of a software or firmware update, the television receiver mayupdate its software or firmware, and thus store and process the MCVE.

At block 730, an MCVE based on the definition received at block 720 maybe presented as part of an EPG by the television receiver. The MCVE mayonly be presented if the current time falls within a period of timedefined as part of the MCVE definition. In other embodiments, the MCVEevent may be presented, but may be unselectable for a predefined periodof time before and/or after the time period of the MCVE definition. Instill other embodiments, separate time periods may be included as partof the MCVE definition that indicates an amount of time before and/orafter the time period that the MCVE is accessible for which the MCVEsingle-selection option is presented, but is unavailable. In someembodiments, a MCVE may be directly accessible via a button on a remotecontrol. For instance, an “MCVE” button may initiate an MCVE, if one isavailable at the television receiver for selection. Whether the MCVEselection is made directly via a button on a remote control or via auser navigating an EPG to a single-selection MCVE option, at block 740the user may provide input that initiates the MCVE.

At block 750, the television receiver analyzes the MCVE definition tostart the MCVE. The television receiver may tune one or more tuners totransponder streams that include the television channels specified bythe MCVE definition. In some embodiments, if multiple channels of theMCVE appear on a single transponder stream, only a single tuner may betuned to that transponder stream in order to receive the multipletelevision channels. For each of the television channels of the MCVE, atleast a video PID filter may be configured. An audio PID filter may beconfigured for at least the television channel to have audio output bydefault (e.g., the highest ranked television channel or the channel tobe presented in the upper-left of the screen of the display device).Audio PID filters for the other channels may also be configured, but theaudio packets may be discarded unless the user selects one of thechannels for audio output at a later time. The PID filters may be basedon data stored by the television receiver in the form of various tablesas previously detailed in relation to FIG. 2. For instance, the NIT andPMT of FIG. 2 may be used to determine transponder streams thatcorrespond to particular television channels and the PIDs on suchtransponder streams that correspond to audio and video streams of suchtelevision channels. Once the one or more tuners are tuned for the MCVEand the PID filters configured, regardless of whether a user views theMCVE channels as part of a multichannel quadrant view (such as in FIG. 5or 6) or the user selects a particular television channel of the MCVEfor full screen viewing the tuning of the tuners and configuration ofthe PID filters can remain unchanged. The television channels of theMCVE may be decoded to full resolution and output as such in the outputsignal to a connected display device, such as in 1080P resolution.

At block 760, the MCVE interface may be output by the televisionreceiver to a display device. The MCVE interface can present thetelevision channels of the MCVE definition in full resolution (e.g.,high definition, if such television channels are broadcast in highdefinition). Each of the television channels may be presented “live.”That is, the television channels are not first recorded—but arepresented as currently being received from the television serviceprovider via a television service provider network. Such an MCVEinterface may resemble the exemplary interface of FIG. 5. A user maythen, if desired, “pause” the live broadcast of any of the televisionchannels using the television receiver's DVR functionality.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a method 800 for providing anMCVE. Method 800 can represent a more detailed embodiment of method 700.Steps of method 800 may be performed using various components of system100, including television receiver 150. It should be understood thatwhile system 100 is a satellite-based television distribution system,method 800 may be performed using other forms of television distributionsystems, including cable- and IP-based television distribution systems.

At block 810, a television receiver, to which an MCVE definition isaddressed, may receive and store the MCVE definition. If the MCVEdefinition is incorporated as part of a software or firmware update, thetelevision receiver may update its software or firmware, and thus storeand process the MCVE. The MCVE may be user or provider defined.

At block 815, a comparison may be performed between a start time anddate of the MCVE definition, an end time and date of the MCVEdefinition, and the current time and date. At block 820, the MCVE may bepresented as part of an EPG by the television receiver only if thecurrent time is with the MCVE definition's defined time period. In otherembodiments, the MCVE event may be presented, but may be unselectablefor a predefined period of time before and/or after the time period ofthe MCVE definition. In still other embodiments, separate time periodsmay be included as part of the MCVE definition that indicates an amountof time before and/or after the time period that the MCVE is accessiblefor which the MCVE single-selection option is presented, but isunavailable. In some embodiments, a MCVE may be directly accessible viaa button on a remote control. For instance, an “MCVE” button mayinitiate an MCVE, if one is available at the television receiver forselection. Whether the MCVE selection is made directly via a button on aremote control or via a user navigating an EPG to a single-selectionMCVE option, at block 825 the user may provide input that initiates theMCVE.

At block 830, an analysis may be performed by the television receiver,such as by a subscription controller, to determine which televisionchannels of the MCVE definition the television receiver has the rightsto decode and access based on a user's subscription. While an MCVE maytypically involve the presentation of four television channels, the MCVEdefinition may include more than four television channels, that way ifany of the four highest ranked television channels of the MCVE cannot bedecoded, one or more alternate television channels may be presentedinstead. At block 835, the television channels selected to be presentedfrom the MCVE may be the highest ranked television channels, as rankedas part of the MCVE definition, and for which the television receivercan decode based on the subscription active at the television receiver.The highest ranked television channel to be presented may, by default,have its audio stream output. As such, an audio PID filter at block 840may be configured for the highest ranked television channel. In someembodiments, audio PID filters are configured for all the televisionchannels of the MCVE, but audio packets associated with televisionchannels that are not having their audio stream output may have audiopackets discarded.

At block 840, the television receiver analyzes the MCVE definition tostart the MCVE. The television receiver may tune one or more tuners totransponder streams that include the television channels specified bythe MCVE definition. In some embodiments, if multiple channels of theMCVE appear on a single transponder stream, only a single tuner may betuned to that transponder stream in order to receive the multipletelevision channels. For each of the television channels of the MCVE, atleast a video PID filter may be configured. An audio PID filter may beconfigured for at least the television channel to have audio output bydefault (e.g., the highest ranked television channel or the channel tobe presented in the upper-left of the screen of the display device).Additional detail regard the configuration of the tuners and PID filtersare detailed in relation to block 750 of method 700. In a quad MCVE,four video PID filters may be configured and at least one audio PIDfilter (e.g., for the highest-ranked television channel according to theMCVE definition).

At block 845, the MCVE interface may be output by the televisionreceiver to a display device. The MCVE interface can present thetelevision channels of the MCVE definition simultaneously in fullresolution (e.g., high definition, if such television channels arebroadcast in high definition). Each of the television channels may bepresented “live.” That is, the television channels are not firstrecorded—but are presented as currently being received from thetelevision service provider via a television service provider network.Such an MCVE interface may resemble the exemplary interface of FIG. 5. Auser may then, if desired, “pause” the live broadcast of any of thetelevision channels using the television receiver's DVR functionality.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a computer system 900 that can beincorporated as part of the television receivers and television serviceprovider systems detailed herein. FIG. 9 provides a schematicillustration of one embodiment of a computer system 900 that can performvarious steps of the methods provided by various embodiments. It shouldbe noted that FIG. 9 is meant only to provide a generalized illustrationof various components, any or all of which may be utilized asappropriate. FIG. 9, therefore, broadly illustrates how individualsystem elements may be implemented in a relatively separated orrelatively more integrated manner.

The computer system 900 is shown comprising hardware elements that canbe electrically coupled via a bus 905 (or may otherwise be incommunication). The hardware elements may include one or more processors910, including without limitation one or more general-purpose processorsand/or one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signalprocessing chips, graphics acceleration processors, video decoders,and/or the like); one or more input devices 915, which can includewithout limitation a mouse, a touchscreen, keyboard, remote control,and/or the like; and one or more output devices 920, which can includewithout limitation a display device, a printer, etc.

The computer system 900 may further include (and/or be in communicationwith) one or more non-transitory storage devices 925, which cancomprise, without limitation, local and/or network accessible storage,and/or can include, without limitation, a disk drive, a drive array, anoptical storage device, a solid-state storage device, such as a solidstate drive (“SSD”), random access memory (“RAM”), and/or a read-onlymemory (“ROM”), which can be programmable, flash-updateable and/or thelike. Such storage devices may be configured to implement anyappropriate data stores, including without limitation, various filesystems, database structures, and/or the like.

The computer system 900 might also include a communications subsystem930, which can include without limitation a modem, a network card(wireless or wired), an infrared communication device, a wirelesscommunication device, and/or a chipset (such as a Bluetooth™ device,BLE, an 802.11 device, an 802.15.4 device, a WiFi device, a WiMaxdevice, cellular communication device, etc.), and/or the like. Thecommunications subsystem 930 may permit data to be exchanged with anetwork (such as the network described below, to name one example),other computer systems, and/or any other devices described herein. Inmany embodiments, the computer system 900 will further comprise aworking memory 935, which can include a RAM or ROM device, as describedabove.

The computer system 900 also can comprise software elements, shown asbeing currently located within the working memory 935, including anoperating system 940, device drivers, executable libraries, and/or othercode, such as one or more application programs 945, which may comprisecomputer programs provided by various embodiments, and/or may bedesigned to implement methods, and/or configure systems, provided byother embodiments, as described herein. Merely by way of example, one ormore procedures described with respect to the method(s) discussed abovemight be implemented as code and/or instructions executable by acomputer (and/or a processor within a computer); in an aspect, then,such code and/or instructions can be used to configure and/or adapt ageneral purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or moreoperations in accordance with the described methods.

A set of these instructions and/or code might be stored on anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as thenon-transitory storage device(s) 925 described above. In some cases, thestorage medium might be incorporated within a computer system, such ascomputer system 900. In other embodiments, the storage medium might beseparate from a computer system (e.g., a removable medium, such as acompact disc), and/or provided in an installation package, such that thestorage medium can be used to program, configure, and/or adapt a generalpurpose computer with the instructions/code stored thereon. Theseinstructions might take the form of executable code, which is executableby the computer system 900 and/or might take the form of source and/orinstallable code, which, upon compilation and/or installation on thecomputer system 900 (e.g., using any of a variety of generally availablecompilers, installation programs, compression/decompression utilities,etc.), then takes the form of executable code.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantialvariations may be made in accordance with specific requirements. Forexample, customized hardware might also be used, and/or particularelements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portablesoftware, such as applets, etc.), or both. Further, connection to othercomputing devices such as network input/output devices may be employed.

As mentioned above, in one aspect, some embodiments may employ acomputer system (such as the computer system 900) to perform methods inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention. According to a setof embodiments, some or all of the procedures of such methods areperformed by the computer system 900 in response to processor 910executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions (which mightbe incorporated into the operating system 940 and/or other code, such asan application program 945) contained in the working memory 935. Suchinstructions may be read into the working memory 935 from anothercomputer-readable medium, such as one or more of the non-transitorystorage device(s) 925. Merely by way of example, execution of thesequences of instructions contained in the working memory 935 mightcause the processor(s) 910 to perform one or more procedures of themethods described herein.

The terms “machine-readable medium,” “computer-readable storage medium”and “computer-readable medium,” as used herein, refer to any medium thatparticipates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in aspecific fashion. These mediums may be non-transitory. In an embodimentimplemented using the computer system 900, various computer-readablemedia might be involved in providing instructions/code to processor(s)910 for execution and/or might be used to store and/or carry suchinstructions/code. In many implementations, a computer-readable mediumis a physical and/or tangible storage medium. Such a medium may take theform of a non-volatile media or volatile media. Non-volatile mediainclude, for example, optical and/or magnetic disks, such as thenon-transitory storage device(s) 925. Volatile media include, withoutlimitation, dynamic memory, such as the working memory 935.

Common forms of physical and/or tangible computer-readable mediainclude, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other opticalmedium, any other physical medium with patterns of marks, a RAM, a PROM,EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any othermedium from which a computer can read instructions and/or code.

Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequences of one or more instructions to the processor(s) 910for execution. Merely by way of example, the instructions may initiallybe carried on a magnetic disk and/or optical disc of a remote computer.A remote computer might load the instructions into its dynamic memoryand send the instructions as signals over a transmission medium to bereceived and/or executed by the computer system 900.

The communications subsystem 930 (and/or components thereof) generallywill receive signals, and the bus 905 then might carry the signals(and/or the data, instructions, etc. carried by the signals) to theworking memory 935, from which the processor(s) 910 retrieves andexecutes the instructions. The instructions received by the workingmemory 935 may optionally be stored on a non-transitory storage device925 either before or after execution by the processor(s) 910.

It should further be understood that the components of computer system900 can be distributed across a network. For example, some processingmay be performed in one location using a first processor while otherprocessing may be performed by another processor remote from the firstprocessor. Other components of computer system 900 may be similarlydistributed. As such, computer system 900 may be interpreted as adistributed computing system that performs processing in multiplelocations. In some instances, computer system 900 may be interpreted asa single computing device, such as a distinct laptop, desktop computer,or the like, depending on the context.

The methods, systems, and devices discussed above are examples. Variousconfigurations may omit, substitute, or add various procedures orcomponents as appropriate. For instance, in alternative configurations,the methods may be performed in an order different from that described,and/or various stages may be added, omitted, and/or combined. Also,features described with respect to certain configurations may becombined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elementsof the configurations may be combined in a similar manner. Also,technology evolves and, thus, many of the elements are examples and donot limit the scope of the disclosure or claims.

Specific details are given in the description to provide a thoroughunderstanding of example configurations (including implementations).However, configurations may be practiced without these specific details.For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, andtechniques have been shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoidobscuring the configurations. This description provides exampleconfigurations only, and does not limit the scope, applicability, orconfigurations of the claims. Rather, the preceding description of theconfigurations will provide those skilled in the art with an enablingdescription for implementing described techniques. Various changes maybe made in the function and arrangement of elements without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the disclosure.

Also, configurations may be described as a process which is depicted asa flow diagram or block diagram. Although each may describe theoperations as a sequential process, many of the operations can beperformed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of theoperations may be rearranged. A process may have additional steps notincluded in the figure. Furthermore, examples of the methods may beimplemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode,hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. Whenimplemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the programcode or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium such as a storage medium.Processors may perform the described tasks.

Having described several example configurations, various modifications,alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departingfrom the spirit of the disclosure. For example, the above elements maybe components of a larger system, wherein other rules may takeprecedence over or otherwise modify the application of the invention.Also, a number of steps may be undertaken before, during, or after theabove elements are considered.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing a multichannel viewingevent, the method comprising: broadcasting, by a television serviceprovider, a multichannel viewing event definition to a plurality oftelevision receivers, the definition of the multichannel viewing eventdefining: a plurality of television channels to be included as part ofthe multichannel viewing event, a first start time after which, butprior to a second start time, the multichannel viewing event ispresented as part of an electronic programming guide (EPG) but isunavailable, the second start time of the multichannel viewing event, anend time of the multichannel viewing event, and storing, by a televisionreceiver of the plurality of television receivers, the definition of themultichannel viewing event; comparing, by the television receiver, acurrent time with the second start time and the end time; determining,by the television receiver, that the current time is within a timeperiod defined by the second start time and the end time; in response tothe current time being determined to be between the second start timeand the end time, providing, by the television receiver, as part of theEPG, a single-selection option to activate the multichannel viewingevent based on the multichannel viewing event definition, wherein: afterthe first start time but before the second start time, thesingle-selection option to activate the multichannel viewing event basedon the multichannel viewing event definition is presented as part of theEPG but is not available for selection; receiving, by the televisionreceiver, user input that selects the single-selection option; inresponse to receiving the user input that selects the single-selectionoption, accessing, by the television receiver, the stored definition ofthe multichannel viewing event; in response to the user input and theaccessed stored definition of the multichannel viewing event, tuning oneor more tuners of the television receiver based on the plurality oftelevision channels defined in the definition of the multichannelviewing event; and output a video stream that comprises live feeds ofmultiple television channels from the plurality of television channels,and, when presented by a display device, the video stream results in thelive feeds of the multiple television channels being presentedsimultaneously.
 2. The method for providing the multichannel viewingevent of claim 1, wherein providing, by the television receiver, thesingle-selection option to activate the multichannel viewing event basedon the multichannel viewing event definition comprises providing aplurality of single-selection options, comprising the single-selectionoption, wherein each single-selection option of the plurality ofsingle-selection options activates a different multichannel viewingevent based on distinct multichannel viewing event definitions.
 3. Themethod for providing the multichannel viewing event of claim 1, furthercomprising: in response to the user input and the accessed storeddefinition of the multichannel viewing event, instantiating a pluralityof packet identifier (PID) filters, the plurality of PID filterscomprising multiple PID filters, wherein for each television channel avideo PID filter is instantiated.
 4. The method for providing themultichannel viewing event of claim 1 wherein: the definition of themultichannel viewing event further comprises a ranking scheme that ranksthe plurality of television channels.
 5. The method for providing themultichannel viewing event of claim 4, further comprising: identifying,by the television receiver, at least a subset of the plurality oftelevision channels that the television receiver is authorized forpresentation based on a local subscription check; and selecting themultiple television channels for output based on the ranking scheme andthe multiple television channels being identified as part of at leastthe subset of the plurality of television channels authorized forpresentation.
 6. The method for providing the multichannel viewing eventof claim 5, further comprising: selecting, by the television receiver, adefault television channel from at least the subset of the plurality oftelevision channels for audio output based on the ranking scheme,wherein the audio output is enabled for only a single television channelat a given time.
 7. The method for providing the multichannel viewingevent of claim 1, further comprising: while outputting the video streamthat comprises the live feeds of the multiple television channels,receiving user input indicative of a pause command particular to atelevision channel of the multiple television channels being output forpresentation; pausing, by the television receiver, output of thetelevision channel while maintaining output of live feeds of the othertelevision channels; and recording, by the television receiver, thetelevision channel in response to the pause command particular to thetelevision channel.
 8. The method for providing the multichannel viewingevent of claim 1, wherein each channel of the multiple televisionchannels is output at a resolution of 1080P.
 9. A television receiverfor outputting a multichannel viewing event, the television receivercomprising: a plurality of tuners; one or more processors; and a memorycommunicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processorsand having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processorsto: receive, via the plurality of tuners, a multichannel viewing eventdefinition, the definition of the multichannel viewing event defining: aplurality of television channels to be included as part of themultichannel viewing event, a first start time after which, but prior toa second start time, the multichannel viewing event is presented as partof an electronic programming guide (EPG) but is unavailable and thesecond start time of the multichannel viewing event; cause thedefinition of the multichannel viewing event to be stored; compare acurrent time with the second start time; determine that the current timeis after the second start time; in response to the current time beingdetermined is after the second start time, provide as part of an theEPG, a single-selection option to activate the multichannel viewingevent based on the multichannel viewing event definition, wherein: afterthe first start time but before the second start time, thesingle-selection option to activate the multichannel viewing event basedon the multichannel viewing event definition is presented as part of theEPG but is not available for selection; receive user input that selectsthe single-selection option; in response to receiving the user inputthat selects the single-selection option, access the stored definitionof the multichannel viewing event; in response to the user input and theaccessed stored definition of the multichannel viewing event, tune oneor more tuners of the plurality of tuners; and cause a video stream tobe output that comprises live feeds of multiple television channels fromthe plurality of television channels, such that, when presented by adisplay device, the video stream results in the live feeds of themultiple television channels being presented simultaneously.
 10. Thetelevision receiver for outputting the multichannel viewing event ofclaim 9, wherein the processor-readable instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the one or more processors to provide thesingle-selection option to activate the multichannel viewing event basedon the multichannel viewing event definition comprise processor-readableinstructions which, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:provide a plurality of single-selection options, comprising thesingle-selection option, wherein each single-selection option of theplurality of single-selection options activates a different multichannelviewing event based on distinct multichannel viewing event definitions.11. The television receiver for outputting the multichannel viewingevent of claim 9, wherein the processor-readable instructions, whenexecuted, further cause the one or more processors to: in response tothe user input and the accessed stored definition of the multichannelviewing event, instantiate a plurality of packet identifier (PID)filters, wherein for each television channel a video PID filter isinstantiated.
 12. The television receiver for outputting themultichannel viewing event of claim 9 wherein: the plurality oftelevision channels comprises five or more distinct television channels,and the definition of the multichannel viewing event further comprises aranking scheme that ranks the plurality of television channels.
 13. Thetelevision receiver for outputting the multichannel viewing event ofclaim 12, wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed,further cause the one or more processors to: identify at least a subsetof the plurality of television channels that the television receiver isauthorized for presentation based on a local subscription check; andselect the multiple television channels for output based on the rankingscheme and the television channels identified as part of at least thesubset of the plurality of television channels authorized forpresentation.
 14. The television receiver for outputting themultichannel viewing event of claim 13, wherein the processor-readableinstructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processorsto: select a default television channel from at least the subset of theplurality of television channels for audio output based on the rankingscheme, wherein the audio output is enabled for only a single televisionchannel at a given time.
 15. The television receiver for outputting themultichannel viewing event of claim 9, wherein the processor-readableinstructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processorsto: while the video stream that comprises the live feeds of the multipletelevision channels is being output, receive user input indicative of apause command particular to a television channel of the multipletelevision channels being output for presentation; cause output of thetelevision channel to be paused while maintaining output of live feedsof the other television channels; and configure recording of thetelevision channel in response to the pause command particular to thetelevision channel.
 16. The television receiver for outputting themultichannel viewing event of claim 9, wherein each channel of themultiple television channels is output by the television receiver at aresolution of 1080P.
 17. The television receiver for outputting themultichannel viewing event of claim 9, wherein the processor-readableinstructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processorsto: cause a title of the multichannel viewing event to be output forpresentation.
 18. A non-transitory processor-readable medium foroutputting a multichannel viewing event, comprising processor-readableinstructions that cause one or more processors to: receive amultichannel viewing event definition transmitted to a plurality oftelevision receivers, the definition of the multichannel viewing eventdefining: a plurality of television channels to be included as part ofthe multichannel viewing event, a first start time after which, butprior to a second start time, the multichannel viewing event ispresented as part of an electronic programming guide (EPG) but isunavailable, and the second start time of the multichannel viewingevent; cause the definition of the multichannel viewing event to bestored; compare a current time with the second start time; determinethat the current time is after the second start time; in response to thecurrent time being determined to be after the second start time, provideas part of the EPG, a single-selection option to activate themultichannel viewing event based on the multichannel viewing eventdefinition, wherein: after the first start time but before the secondstart time, the single-selection option to activate the multichannelviewing event based on the multichannel viewing event definition ispresented as part of the EPG but is not available for selection; receiveuser input that selects the single-selection option; in response toreceiving the user input that selects the single-selection option,access the stored definition of the multichannel viewing event; inresponse to the user input and the accessed stored definition of themultichannel viewing event, tune one or more tuners of a plurality oftuners; and cause a video stream to be output that comprises live feedsof multiple television channels from the plurality of televisionchannels, wherein the live feeds of the multiple television channelsbeing presented simultaneously.
 19. The non-transitoryprocessor-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the processor-readableinstructions being configured to cause the one or more processors toprovide the single-selection option to activate the multichannel viewingevent based on the multichannel viewing event definition comprises theprocessor-readable instructions being configured to cause the one ormore processors to provide a plurality of single-selection options,comprising the single-selection option, wherein each single-selectionoption of the plurality of single-selection options activates adifferent multichannel viewing event based on distinct multichannelviewing event definitions.
 20. The non-transitory processor-readablemedium of claim 18, wherein the processor-readable instructions arefurther configured to cause the one or more processors to: select adefault television channel from at least the subset of the plurality oftelevision channels for the audio output based on a ranking scheme,wherein audio output is enabled for only a single television channel ata given time.